This is a step in the right direction and points out something we all knew. San Diego I-Team and a gun lover from ASC shooting range gets access to the so called Cartel guns from US civilian gun dealers and confirms something else.

http://www.10news.com/news/19071202/detail.html#-

SAN DIEGO -- Mexico has some of the toughest gun laws in the world.

If permits are even granted, the guns must be registered with the military.

However, that has not prevented Mexican drug cartels from buying powerful weapons, and most of them come from the U.S.

After months of requests, the 10News I-Team was given an exclusive look at what Mexican authorities are up against in their battle with the cartels.

In the center of Tijuana is a heavily guarded Mexican military base. Very few people get inside the gates where security is paramount.

Almost daily, members of the Mexican military are faced with their ongoing battle against the drug cartels.

The day the I-Team arrived, soldiers were sawing through steel plates in the trailer bed of an 18-wheeler. It was a failed attempt by cartel members to move drugs across the border.

On this base it is a weekly routine. Week after week, criminals are arrested trying to transport drugs into the U.S.

The military puts them on display, showing off the drugs, cash and their dangerous weapons.

The I-Team was granted access inside a heavily guarded armory within the gates of the base. Thousands of weapons are stored there, and military officials told 10News they are linked to cartel arrests.

The problem with many of these weapons that are confiscated from the cartels is that they are manufactured in the U.S. by the U.S. government.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claimed Mexican cartels received about 95 percent of their weapons from American gun sellers.

U.S. gun shops are not allowed to sell the high-powered military weapons, and many question how they end up across the border.

Marc Halcon is a forensic firearms consultant and works at the American Shooting Center in San Diego. He said U.S. gun shops are taking the blame for supplying the cartels with weapons, but in reality many of these high-powered weapons come from the U.S. government and are given to the Mexican military to fight the cartels.

Halcon was asked to help identify the weapons for 10News, their possible origin and how they would end up in the cartels' hands.

"What you're seeing here, these are all basically military firearms," Halcon told 10News. "We sent millions of dollars -- we meaning the government -- to the war on drugs to the government of Mexico and to the military. And from there they filter their way out."

Halcon continued, "Now you're talking about a military that has over 1,200 soldiers a month go AWOL and leave the military to go to the drug dealers' side. Of course when they go, they take the guns with them."

Since 2000, an average of 16,000 soldiers a year has deserted the Mexican military. The concern is what they take with them.

"Through trying to be good neighbors and fighting the war on crime, our U.S. government just sends crates and crates and truckloads of these down to Mexico," said Halcon.

10News provided several serial from various weapons to the ATF and other U.S. agencies in an effort to track the origin of those weapons.

So far, 10News' requests have either been denied or there has been no response.

Ford8N

04-02-2009, 5:21 AM

This is a step in the right direction and points out something we all knew. San Diego I-Team and a gun lover from ASC shooting range gets access to the so called Cartel guns from US civilian gun dealers and confirms something else.

http://www.10news.com/news/19071202/detail.html#-

"The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claimed Mexican cartels received about 95 percent of their weapons from American gun sellers."

If faced with the truth that the vast majority of the firearms are stolen from the Mexican Military, why is an official US government agency telling a LIE?

MadMex

04-02-2009, 5:28 AM

Good read.

sfpcservice

04-02-2009, 5:33 AM

"The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claimed Mexican cartels received about 95 percent of their weapons from American gun sellers."

If faced with the truth that the vast majority of the firearms are stolen from the Mexican Military, why is an official US government agency telling a LIE?

I work for the US Government, and I can say it is the sad truth that I have seen several government managers tell big lies. Somewhere along the way they have forgotten their oath and walked away from honor.

paladin4415

04-02-2009, 5:33 AM

"The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claimed Mexican cartels received about 95 percent of their weapons from American gun sellers."

If faced with the truth that the vast majority of the firearms are stolen from the Mexican Military, why is an official US government agency telling a LIE?

They are from "American gun sellers". They are made by companies like Colt and Bushmaster as export only MILITARY FIREARMS, sold or given to the armies of Mexico and other Central/South American countries. Just because they were manufactured by American companies, doesn't mean they got to Mexico through illegal channels.
The US officials are saying what they are told to say by the current administration.

nic

04-02-2009, 5:42 AM

I wonder if this story will by broadcast by many more news agencies...

DDT

04-02-2009, 5:47 AM

I wonder if this story will by broadcast by many more news agencies...

a rhetorical question I assume? Of course it won't.

nic

04-02-2009, 6:10 AM

Unfortunately, yes, a rhetorical question. I only wish that when the truth is brought to light (as in this case), the rest of the news media would pick it up and try to clear up the FUD they've helped to spread.
Wishful thinking, I know. But this story doesn't help me feel better just because my "knowing the truth all along" has been validated. Having this story spread far and wide on every major news network would make me feel better, particularly since it would help highlight to the masses what dishonest liars populate our government.
Good on this station for picking up this story and broadcasting. Just wish that broadcasting was a little broader...

N6ATF

04-03-2009, 1:10 AM

"the reality in California, right now, is that they* are not our friends"

*reporters

Put on your :TFH:, you got served. YET AGAIN.

popndrop

04-03-2009, 1:51 AM

good story - nice to read something where a gun guy has a say...

nicki

04-03-2009, 2:08 AM

Perhaps we could get the "Gun Manufacturers" to publically list which guns to sold to which government.

We then could make it a condition that all guns that are recovered from Mexico that came from us have their makes, models and serial numbers sent to the a Congressional oversight committee and those guns should get posted as public record.

We all could look at what was recovered, maybe we may find some of our old stolen guns.

My gut is the number of recovered guns would show that we are not the source of Mexico's guns. Perhaps we should consider extriditing people who are running guns to the Cartels to Mexico to stand trial under their laws.

Excellent information. Just wonder if this will just fall on deaf ears?

jamesob

04-03-2009, 7:15 AM

honest as it gets.

Hans Gruber

04-03-2009, 7:23 AM

Someone get John Stossel to do a report on whichever "major" network he's on now.

jnojr

04-03-2009, 8:40 AM

If faced with the truth that the vast majority of the firearms are stolen from the Mexican Military, why is an official US government agency telling a LIE?

Because it furthers their desire to place more restrictions on privately-owned firearms here in the US.

Untamed1972

04-03-2009, 8:44 AM

Perhaps we could get the "Gun Manufacturers" to publically list which guns to sold to which government.

We then could make it a condition that all guns that are recovered from Mexico that came from us have their makes, models and serial numbers sent to the a Congressional oversight committee and those guns should get posted as public record.

We all could look at what was recovered, maybe we may find some of our old stolen guns.

My gut is the number of recovered guns would show that we are not the source of Mexico's guns. Perhaps we should consider extriditing people who are running guns to the Cartels to Mexico to stand trial under their laws.

Nicki

Couldn't someone just do a "Freedom of information act" request to the various gov't agencies ATF, DEA, blah blah blah that are doing these investigations and ask for the serial #'s of the weapons located? Then it would be a matter of whether or not the manufacters would give you info on who they sold them too. But if any of the selling went thru a USgov't agency then that should be covered under FOIA, unless perhaps it was thru the military.....don't know that FOIA covers military stuff.

Tankhatch

04-03-2009, 8:55 AM

Iraq & US forces have lost track of 70 K of AK47's, that the US supplied.

valleyguy

04-03-2009, 9:39 AM

"The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claimed Mexican cartels received about 95 percent of their weapons from American gun sellers."

If faced with the truth that the vast majority of the firearms are stolen from the Mexican Military, why is an official US government agency telling a LIE?

Because it points out two things:

A) Our aid and support to Mexico is actually helping the Cartels via Mexico's corruption and crumbling military, meaning that we are actually making the problem worse with our aid packages rather than better. Pretty embarrassing thing for either party to admit -- that the war on drugs has and will be a complete failure, and that they're wasting tax dollars better used on our own people and communities, or refunded.

B) Because everyone ignores the fact that we are the #1 arms exporter in the world, and no party in power, Democrat or Republican, is going to change that. Too much money, too many jobs, too much influence on votes and power within our nation's halls of power.

It's much easier to just sweep that under the rug and use this as a political crowbar to push for something that will be politically popular with some Democrat supporters (e.g., an Assault Weapons Ban) and make it look like "we're doing something." It's much easier to take on the gun owners of America than the entire defense industry, especially if you spread a lot of FUD about how this is causing us to "lose the War on Drugs."

What's funny is that these Cartels can get these guns anytime they want, and not just from us. China, Eastern Europe, other countries -- no sweat, and probably cheaper, too. They buy from us because we have quality, but we're not the only game in town. After all, if they have no problems importing tons of raw cocaine from South America on an hourly basis, what's the obstacle from doing the same thing for other tools of the trade?